December has arrived, and with it, promises of Christmas trees, a warm mug of mulled wine (or fruit punch) and if you’re a true Parisian, the French Bûche de Noël – otherwise known as the yule log cake.12月已经来临，带来圣诞的气息，圣诞又怎么少得了精心装扮的圣诞树，香气袭人的热红酒（或是水果宾治）呢，而对于崇尚法式糕点的你来说，最少不了的，是那一块圣诞圆木蛋糕“Bûche de Noël”。

Of all the delights that grace the French Christmas dinner table, nothing invokes more joy and childhood memories for the French than this cylindrical branch of authentic goodness all rolled in one.法国人的圣诞餐桌花式繁多，但这种把所有爱心精心卷成一个圆筒的美食所带来的欢乐和儿时记忆，远胜其他美味。

For those of you that are unfamiliar with what exactly a yule log cake is, it is a French dessert that resembles a yule log – a log that is burnt on a hearth as a Christmas tradition. Stretching all the way back to Europe’s Iron Age (yes, before the medieval era), families would burn logs decorated with pinecones, ivy and holly to welcome the new year. After the popularisation of Christianity, the Yule log tradition continued on a smaller scale and families would burn logs in smaller hearths, which was conveniently perfect for baking cakes!有些小伙伴可能还不了解圣诞圆木蛋糕，这是一种外形很像圣诞圆木的法式甜品，法国人有在圣诞夜的壁炉中燃烧圣诞圆木的传统。在更久远的铁器时代的欧洲（没错，比黑暗的中世纪更早），家人们聚在一起，燃烧用松果、常春藤、冬青点缀的圆木来迎接新年。在基督教盛行之后，燃烧圆木的圣诞传统规模变小并得到了延续，人们与家人在一起，在小炉子里燃烧少量圆木，这样非常适合烘烤蛋糕哦！

Parisian bakers popularized the cake soon after and different bakeries became known for their different elaborate decorations. Usually, the Bûche de Noël consists of a yellow sponge cake filled with chocolate buttercream, along with bark-like textures and powdered sugar that resembles snow.巴黎的糕点烘焙师很快使这种蛋糕流行起来，不同的烘培店也纷纷主打装饰各异的圆木蛋糕。圆木蛋糕一般在黄色的海绵蛋糕中加上巧克力奶油霜夹心，配以类似树皮和雪花质地的糖霜。

Now you’re probably wondering, where can I get my hands on an authentic log cake here in Shanghai? Believe it or not, the beloved patisserie chef Laurent Stephan Doron over at the recently-gone-viral new eatery in town, Bread etc. has you covered! Priced at ¥160 per log, flavors are all available upon request in pear-caramel, vanilla-strawberry and chocolate. What better way to enjoy the most authentic French Christmas dessert than at a casual European eatery in the heart of the French Concession?说到这里你可能在想，魔都哪里能买到地道的圆木蛋糕呢？简直难以置信，深受喜爱的甜点师Laurent Stephan Doron在魔都餐厅新贵 Bread etc. 都为你准备好了哦！每个圆筒蛋糕定价160元，三种口味焦糖雪梨, 香草草莓和巧克力都可以提前预订哦。享受地道法式圣诞甜品，还有哪儿比地处法租界中心的悠闲欧式餐厅更合适的呢？

Now enjoy your bûche de Noël, and think of the hundreds of years of history behind it.细心品味这一款圣诞圆木蛋糕，回顾背后几百年的历史。